There is a superfluity of books on ancient Egypt published each year. How refreshing, then, to welcome this splendid collaborative undertaking with its sumptuous and carefully selected illustrations. In different ways, this book will give equal pleasure to scholars, students, and the general reader fascinated by things Egyptian. Egyptologist Shaw (Univ. of Liverpool), who wrote the incisive introduction and thoughtful chapter "Egypt and the Outside World," has recruited 13 scholars from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and the US to contribute chapters on their periods of specialization. Contemporary Egyptology involves a high degree of scholarly compartmentalization, but here skillful editing has resulted in an exceptionally well-integrated narrative. Shaw could certainly have written a single-author volume, but he chose the more perilous multiauthored approach, which in this instance paid off handsomely. It remains to point out that if the publishers can produce a moderately priced paperback edition, this book would become a very strong contender worldwide as a textbook for students of Egypt and the ancient Near East. Highly recommended for all collections. G. R. G. Hambly University of Texas at Dallas